A 58-year-old Esperance man pleaded guilty to stealing copper wire from a business on Norseman Road. Neil Raymond Stoker was fined for stealing in Esperance Magistrate's Court on March 12. Police prosecutor Senior Constable Carolyn Petersen said about 11:00am on Monday January 28, Stoker went to a business that was closed due to the Australia Day public holiday. The offender attached a hook to a broom and retrieved copper wires out of a bin. Snr Constable Petersen said the wires were worth about $400. Police went to Stoker's home and found the wires, which were in the process of being cut and stripped. Stoker's lawyer Yovundhi Jayasekera said the crime was "opportunistic", saying her client had stopped to let his dog out, seen the wires and fashioned the hook. Ms Jayasekera said he planned to sell the wires to a scrap metal merchant. Magistrate Brionie Ayling fined the man $400 and ordered him to return the copper. Stoker was also charged $205.30 in court costs.